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International Airfairs to Costa Rica

Discount Airfare - How to Find the Best Prices

Since Costa Rica is considered the richest country in all of Central America, there is no shortage of flights to Costa Rica. But, sometimes it is tricky to find cheap flights to Costa Rica unless you plan well ahead. So, where are the best deals, which airports, the most flights, the best, and / or cheapest flights? Use the best price seach below, or continue reading for more information on our international airports.

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The country has two international airports and each gets quite a bit of traffic, but the one near the capital city of San Jose is far larger and therefore the majority of the cheap Costa Rica flights usually end up coming here. The smaller airport is near the northwestern city of Liberia and you should definitely check prices into that one first if you are heading to the popular Pacific beach resorts in the north of the country.

The Juan Santamaria Airport (code: SJO) is a pleasant International airport located just outside of San Jose itself. If you are going anywhere other than the northwestern corner of Costa Rica, you'll definitely want to fly into San Jose since airfares to Costa Rica are almost always cheaper here than to Liberia. Even the Pacific beach areas around Jaco are within easy reach of San Jose, with buses and luxury shuttle services taking less than two hours to reach from the main airport, with shuttles to Puntarenas taking only an hour or so longer.

All of the major American airlines have daily flights to Costa Rica, including the big three of American, Delta, and United, but they are not alone. Several smaller airlines fly into Costa Rica from the US and Canada but mostly into San Jose. Other carriers from Latin American countries, including Taca International have readily available service to San Jose.

Enter your home city into the airfare search engine with a destination of SJO and you'll find many options available, although nearly all of them will require at least one stop. Most of the non-stop flights into San Jose go through Dallas, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta, but there are less-frequent non-stops from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto, and a few other cities. If you book well in advance you can actually get some really cheap flights to Costa Rica, although be warned that the "taxes and fees" average around $80 extra so be sure you are comparing one final price to another.

Another tip for your search, is to make sure you either type "SJO" or "San Jose, Costa Rica" when searching for available flights. Otherwise you might find yourself booking a ticket to the other San Jose in California.

The Pacific resorts in the north of the country are much closer to the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (code: LIR), which is near the small inland city of Liberia. There are some cheap flights into Liberia too, so it's definitely worth checking if you are headed for that corner of the country, but generally they will cost at least $US100 more than if you were to fly into San Jose.

Unlike most of the rest of Central America, Costa Rica has plenty of international-standard public transportation between cities, so you won't have to ride a chicken bus unless you really want to. Depending on your schedule, you may find that it's better to save a significant amount by booking a cheap flight into San Jose, Costa Rica (remember the tip above!) and then taking a shuttle, even if you are staying closer to Liberia. The countryside is quite scenic and the ride can actually be an interesting way to start and end your trip.

No matter where you fly into, Costa Rica is filled with gorgeous beach cities and charming small towns in the interior and the capital of San Jose, compared to most other Central American capital cities, actually quite nice so just pick the airport closest to your destination, and have a safe flight, and trip to Costa Rica!